This application is based on and incorporates herein by reference Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-359414 filed on Nov. 27, 2000.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fluid pump device that suctions fluid through an inlet opening via a filter and then discharges it through an outlet opening.
2. Description of Related Art
As shown in FIG. 8, one previously proposed fluid pump device installed, for example, in a windshield washer apparatus of a vehicle includes a housing 52 and a filter 53. The housing 52 receives a motor 51 that rotates an impeller (not shown).
The filter 53 includes a pipe portion 54, a flange portion 55 and a meshed portion 56. The flange portion 55 is formed at a base end of the pipe portion 54. The meshed portion 56 is formed at a distal end of the pipe portion 54. The meshed portion 56 includes a meshed end wall portion 56a and a meshed peripheral wall portion 56b. The meshed end wall portion 56a has through holes penetrating therethrough in an axial direction of the pipe portion 54. The meshed peripheral wall portion 56b has through holes penetrating therethrough in a radial direction of the pipe portion 54.
The base end of the pipe portion 54 is received through an inlet opening 52a formed in the housing 52, and the flange 55 engages with a peripheral area of the inlet opening 52a located around the inlet opening 52a to prevent detachment of the flange 55 from the housing 52, so that the filter 53 is secured to the housing 52. The pipe portion 54 receives a suction tube P therein. The suction tube P extends distally from a pump chamber 52b that receives the impeller (not shown) to a point adjacent the meshed portion 56.
The fluid pump device is installed in the windshield washer apparatus in such a manner that a distal half of the pipe portion 54 is inserted inside of a tank 57 of the windshield washer apparatus. When the motor 51 is driven to rotate the undepicted impeller, washer fluid received in the tank 57 is suctioned into the pump chamber 52b through the filter 53 (meshed portion 56) as well as through the suction tube P and is then discharged out of the pump chamber 52b through an outlet opening 52c. During this operation, the washer fluid from which debris and other undesirable foreign objects are removed through the meshed portion 56 is suctioned into the pump chamber 52b. Thus, the fluid pump device is protected from clogging with the debris and the other undesirable foreign objects suctioned therein.
However, the fluid pump device needs to suction the washer fluid received in the tank 57 through the elongated suction tube P (elongated pipe portion 54), resulting in a disadvantageously low operating efficiency of the fluid pump device. Furthermore, the distal end of the filter 53 (pipe portion 54) largely protrudes from the housing 52, so that a size of the device becomes disadvantageously large in the direction of the protrusion. Furthermore, the meshed portion 56 includes the meshed end wall portion 56a, which has the through holes penetrating therethrough in the axial direction of the pipe portion 54, and the meshed peripheral wall portion 56b, which has the through holes penetrating therethrough in the radial direction of the pipe portion 54. Thus, it is difficult to mold the meshed portion 56 with molds, resulting in an increase in a manufacturing cost. Furthermore, the tube portion 54 of the filter 53 needs to be inserted in the inlet opening 52a of the tank 57. Thus, even if the meshed portion 56 is not required (if removal of the debris and the other undesirable foreign objects from the washer fluid is not required), the expensive filter 53 that has the meshed portion 56 needs to be used, or alternatively a new tube component without the meshed portion 56 needs to be produced and installed.
The present invention addresses the above disadvantages. Thus, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a fluid pump device that has a filter and is capable of achieving a higher operating efficiency, a reduced size and a lower manufacturing cost.
To achieve the objective of the present invention, there is provided a fluid pump device that includes an impeller, a housing and a filter. The impeller creates a flow of fluid upon rotation of the impeller about its rotational axis. The housing receives the impeller therein and has an inlet opening, at least one housing side engaging portion and at least one housing side coupling portion. The inlet opening is formed at one axial end of the housing. The flow of the fluid moves into the housing through the inlet opening. The filter is secured to the housing and has a meshed portion, at least one filter side engaging portion and at least one filter side coupling portion. The meshed portion is communicated with the inlet opening of the housing to filter the fluid. The meshed portion substantially covers the inlet opening of the housing. The at least one filter side engaging portion is engaged with the at least one housing side engaging portion in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the impeller and also in a circumferential direction of the impeller by installing the filter to the housing in the axial direction of the impeller. The at least one filter side coupling portion is engaged with the at least one housing side coupling portion in the axial direction of the impeller by installing the filter to the housing in the axial direction of the impeller. The filter is secured to the housing upon engagement between the at least one filter side engaging portion and the at least one housing side engaging portion and also upon engagement between the at least one filter side coupling portion and the at least one housing side coupling portion.
To achieve the objective of the present invention, there may be alternatively provided a fluid pump device that includes an impeller, a housing and a filter. The impeller creates a flow of fluid upon rotation of the impeller about its rotational axis. The housing receives the impeller therein and has an inlet opening, at least one housing side engaging portion and at least one housing side coupling portion. The inlet opening is formed at one axial end of the housing. The flow of the fluid moves into the housing through the inlet opening. The at least one housing side engaging portion is formed at the one axial end of the housing to extend in an axial direction of the impeller. The at least one housing side coupling portion is formed in an outer peripheral surface of the housing to extend in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the impeller. The filter is secured to the housing and has a meshed portion, at least one filter side engaging portion, at least one arm portion and at least one filter side coupling portion. The meshed portion is communicated with the inlet opening of the housing to filter the fluid. The meshed portion substantially covers the inlet opening of the housing. The at least one filter side engaging portion is engaged with the at least one housing side engaging portion in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the impeller. The at least one arm portion substantially, perpendicularly extends with respect to the meshed portion of the filter and is resiliently flexible in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the impeller. The at least one filter side coupling portion is provided to the at least one arm portion and is engaged with the at least one housing side coupling portion in the axial direction of the impeller. The filter is secured to the housing upon engagement between the at least one filter side engaging portion and the at least one housing slide engaging portion and also upon engagement between the at least one filter side coupling portion and the at least one housing side coupling portion.